


Something Wonderfully Wicked This Way Comes

by FlusteredWriter



Category: Ever After High
Genre: F/F, F/M, Original Characters - Freeform, Oz Characters - Freeform, Slow Burn, The Wizard of Oz - Freeform, t for language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:20:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24634459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlusteredWriter/pseuds/FlusteredWriter
Summary: Ever After High opens up its doors for the new exchange student program. After Wonderland was released from its quarantine, the students of EAH became determined to reach out to other lands and facilitate diplomatic and friendly relationships with the children of other fairytales and stories. Only two students from Oz volunteered for the program: Elain Thropp, daughter of the Wicked Witch of the West, and Gavin Upland, son of the Good Witch of the South. But Elaine is cursed without a voice, and only the students of EAH can help her break it.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Ever After High's student exchange program!

HELLO PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS!

It is with great pleasure that we, Milton and Giles Grimm, headmasters at Ever After High, welcome you to our new student exchange program! In an effort to encourage fairytale diversity at our most prestigious school, the administration and I have reached out to fairytale high schools across all lands asking for candidates for this exciting new program.

Congratulations, ELAINE THROPP , on your acceptance into our program. Welcome to Ever After High! A carriage will arrive to your residence in THE WONDERFUL LAND OF OZ in exactly one week to bring you to Ever After High. Please reference the enclosed list of required textbooks, supplies, and recommended packing list.

Once again, congratulations! We look forward to seeing you at Ever After High to complete your SENIOR year!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The student body welcomes the exchange students from Oz to Ever After High

“Oh, isn’t this just spelltacular!” Apple exclaimed for about the millionth time. “Exchange students! I’m so glad Headmaster Grimm listened to student government’s proposal. So many new students from so many new lands! This is going to me so much fun.” She giggled, then checked her hair again.

“Yes, Apple, it’s very exciting,” Raven said, though she sounded tired more than anything. Apple might be her best friend, but even she had her limits on bubbly dispositions.

It was exciting, though. It took forever after to convince the headmaster and the school board to open this exchange program, but it was so going to be worth it. Ever since they had thrown out the idea of following their predetermined destinies out the window, Apple, Raven, and all the others had been working hard to spread the ideas across all the lands. Maddie and Lizzie were busy getting volunteers from Wonderland, Crystal from the top of the world, Meeshell from under the sea, and Tiny from the land of the giants. But the most exciting students were from lands they had hardly heard from in eons; Olympus, Oz, the land of the East, Candyland, and of course Monster High. When they first put out the call, they didn’t expect to get so many people on the first try. Boy, did they underestimate how many people shared their vision for magical diversity.

Apple and Maddie were there to meet the new students, seeing as they were co-presidents of student council. There were plenty of others there too, like-minded students who were beyond excited to welcome their new classmates. Apple had tried to pair students with similar interests and abilities together for the initial tours and orientations. As such, Raven was paired with two students from Oz, a witch and a wizard.

When they first got the list of students to come from Oz, Apple had been disappointed that only two were coming. No one had heard from Oz in so long, and there was so little information about this strange land, even the narrators couldn’t tell them much. With so many students coming from all the other lands, they had hoped the mysterious Ozians would jump at the opportunity as well. But there were only the two, and they wouldn’t take any students in return. They also had some… odd requests.

First of all, they insisted on using their own transportation (something about bubbles and monkeys?). They also demanded not to be placed in the same classes if possible, which just seemed odd to Raven. Wouldn’t they want to stick together in this new place? Raven had tried to warn Apple that maybe forcing them to take a tour together would be a bad idea, but she just laughed it off.

“Raven, we’re supposed to be encouraging friendships! They can handle one afternoon together, I’m sure of it!”

Raven wasn’t so sure. They showed up dead last, and apparently they weren’t kidding about the monkeys and bubbles. Literally. A carriage drawn by monkeys with wings who produced a fashionable young girl, and a giant pink bubble that popped to reveal a dapper boy. With all the crazy adventures with her friends, Raven had thought she had seen it all, but the Oz students proved her wrong.

“Welcome to Ever After High! I’m Raven,” she greeted, trying not to get hung up on their appearance. She’d been to Wonderland, after all, but this was still pretty strange in her book.

The witch was _green_. Her skin was a deep emerald shade that almost shimmered in the late morning light. Everything else about her was black. Black clothes, short black hair, black eyes, black luggage, even black lipstick. Despite her odd complexion, there was no denying she was beautiful, all sleek lines and sharp angles. She nodded curtly in response to Raven’s greeting,

“Elaine can’t talk,” the boy next to her said, like it was obvious.

This wizard was Elaine’s antithesis, the bright counterpart to her darkness. He had kind blue eyes and platinum blonde hair that curled around his face. He was dressed in an all-white suit with just little splashes of pale pink. Raven couldn’t help but notice he smelled faintly of bubble gum. Maybe that’s what the bubble was. 

“I’m guessing you’re Gavin.”

“That’s right,” he said with a warm smile, reaching out to shake her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.

Elaine looked about ready to call in a storm. She made some sort of gesture with her hands, pointedly not looking at Gavin, who sighed in annoyance. “Raven, right? Do you know sign language?”

“Uh… no?”

“Then I guess I _do_ have to speak for you,” he retorted back to his companion.

This was going to be so awkward. Elaine and Gavin could barely look at each other, and Elaine’s mutism was news to Raven.

“Did you even tell them?” Gaivn said while picking at his perfectly manicured nails, as if he had read Raven’s mind. There was another flurry of gestures in response. “Well then how in the Great Wizard’s name do you ever expect to get through the school year?”

“Why don’t we worry about that later,” Raven interjected. “For now, we’ve got a tour to take! I’ll show you to your rooms, give you your class schedules, and introduce you to some of my friends.”

“Wonderful! Lead the way,” Gavin answered with a smile. “I can’t wait to meet everyone.”

Elaine met Raven’s eyes and gave her the smallest smile, which Raven took as a reassuring sign. Despite her cold exterior, Raven knew better than to judge a book by their cover. For what it was worth, she was excited to get to know Elaine.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new students get settled in

Raven led the two new students throughout the school, showing them the castle-teria, the dragon stables, some of their classrooms, the student government throne room, and, of course, their rooms. She let Dexter take Gavin up to the boy’s dorm while she brought Elaine to the girl’s wing. Elaine would be rooming with Kitty Cheshire, which Raven had some concerns about, but the pairing was already decided. Hopefully Kitty didn’t give Elaine too much trouble.

“If you need anything, you can call me up on your mirror phone,” Raven said after she helped Elaine get settled, then thought better of it. “Or, maybe send a note?” No, that’s not much better. “We’ll figure something out. I’m sure the evil stepsisters have some books on sign language, or maybe you could teach us?”

Elaine didn’t seem to hear her, staring out the window instead. She had a deep longing etched into her face, a glint of something deep and sad in her eyes.

Raven put a hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her. “I know this is probably weird, but I promise, we’ll make this a great experience. We’re all so excited you’re here.”

Elaine gave her a half-hearted smile, putting a hand against her chin and bringing it down.

“Thank you?” Raven guessed, rewarded with an empathetic nod. “You’re welcome. See? We’ll figure this out. Do you need help unpacking?”

The other girl shook her head, clapping her hands together three times. The luggage that had been brought up earlier magically flies open, their contents sorting themselves into shelves and drawers. A broom flies straight into Elaine’s hands, and she looks around, considering where to put it.

“You know, there are plenty of animals and such who do the cleaning, you don’t have to.” Elaine shakes her head, an amused smile playing on her lips. She motions for Raven to come closer, running her hand over an engraving in the handle. “‘Everyone deserves the chance to fly’,” Raven reads. “Is it enchanted or something?”

Elaine nods and makes a gesture with her hand, pointing her pinky, thumb, and forefinger out and waving it.

“It flies?” Raven guesses, which is confirmed with another nod. “That is so cool! I’ve never heard of a flying broom before, you’ll have to show me some time.”

Yeah, she really looked forward to getting to know Elaine.

\-------

Dexter was having one of the busiest days of his life, except maybe Thronecoming, so it was nice to finally slow down and only have one student to show around. Humphrey was going to be Gavin’s roommate, but he was off showing other students around and bragging about the server room, so their room was empty. Gavin had sent his luggage and belongings up ahead of them in bubbles, and the white chests were neatly stacked on his side of the room.

“Do you want help unpacking?” Dex offered.

“No, that’s alright, I’ll unpack later.”

“You came with a lot of stuff,” he said, trying to play it off as a joke but failing.

Gavin’s mouth settled in a hard line. “Mother packed for me. I’ll sort through it later.”

There was an awkward pause as Dex looked for what to say. Why’d he get stuck with one of the Oz kids? He sucks at the diplomacy thing, and this new guy was so suave and collected, he would have been better off with Daring. Apple made it seem like so much was riding on making the Oz kids feel welcome, and so far he was doing a terrible job.

“Don’t be nervous,” Gavin said, like he had read Dex’s mind. “I don’t bite.”

“Who’s your mom?” the other blurted out. Real smooth, Dex.

“Glinda Upland, the Good Witch of the North.” There was that annoyance again. Family is a sore subject, got it.

“And Elaine?” Nope, don’t got it.

“Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Witch of the West.” He says their titles so monotone, like he doesn’t believe them.

“I heard you tell Raven she doesn’t talk?” Seriously, Dex, read the room.

“It’s a curse.” Dex waited for him to elaborate, but he just rummaged through some of his luggage to pull out a long white wand. “But that’s not really my story to tell. Could you show me the castle-teria again?” he asked, effectively changing the subject. “I’m absolutely famished.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens

Apple organized an orientation assembly to be held the next day, and it was perfect, as usual. She and Maddie welcomed the students from each land by name as they entered the auditorium, and she gave a beautiful speech about unity, diversity, and making fairytale history. The exchange students really seemed roused by her speech. Absolutely perfect.

There were refreshments and time dedicated to mingling afterwards, so of course Apple did the rounds. After a while, she made her way to Daring, who was being introduced to one of the new Oz students by Dex. How hex-citing! She had to admit, the Oz students were the ones who really attracted her interest. They knew so little about them, their land, their abilities. Getting to know them was definitely a priority of hers.

Gavin was positively charming, bowing to kiss her hand with the most beautiful smile when she had introduced herself. “A pleasure to meet you, Princess White.”

She giggled. “Oh, please, call me Apple.” Something like a snort sounded behind them, and Apple turned to see Raven with the other Oz student. By the looks of it, the two were already fast friends, and Raven was trying to hide her own amusement. The other girl wasn’t nearly as subtle, obvious disdain for her counterpart’s behavior hidden in her smile.

“Apple, this is Elaine,” Raven introduced, “the other Oz exchange student.”

“Oh, it’s so lovely to meet you!” She pulled the other girl into a hug, and was surprised when she stiffened instead of returning it. Not that she let that phase her, she just pulled back and took the other girl’s hands with a blinding smile. “Sorry, I’m a hugger. Welcome to Ever After High! We’re all so hex-cited to get to know you.”

Elaine looked uncomfortable, but to her credit she tried to meet Apple’s smile. Maybe touching is rude in Oz? But Gavin had no problem touching her and the boys.

“You know, it’s been a long day, and I still have to show Elaine the library,” Raven said. “We’ll see you later?”

“Of course! Have fun!”

Gavin watched them go, worry creasing his brow. “She’s not trying to be rude,” he said once they had left the auditorium. “She’s just not used to people touching her.”

“Is it an Ozian thing? Oh, I would hate to be insensitive!”

“No, it’s just her.”

They all looked at him, confused, and he flushed in embarrassment, looking like he had said too much. “She just hasn’t been around this many people.”

“Is your school small?” Dex asked.

There’s an awkward pause, Gavin looking guiltier by the minute. “She doesn’t go to school with the rest of us.”

More silence. None of them knew how to respond to that. Dex already knew that Gavin didn’t want to speak for Elaine, and the others knew there was some kind of beef between them, or their families. They all knew first-hand how awkward that can be, but if Apple and Raven can get over their destinies and be best friends forever after, then maybe Gavin and Elaine could get along. It seemed like Gavin didn’t even have anything against her personally, they just had a tense history.

“Hey, do you want to see the dragon arena?” Daring finally said, breaking the silence. “The girls run the dragon games out of there.”

“That sounds fantastic,” Gavin replied, that blinding grin making a reappearance. “Let’s go.”

\-----

“Sorry about Apple,” Raven said when they were far away enough. “She’s just really excited.”

Elaine rubbed her arms a minute before making a gesture Raven had come to know meant ‘okay.’ She had learned so much already, thank you and you’re welcome and fly, which made her feel a lot better about Elaine getting by in school. They could make it work.

Raven had technically already shown Elaine the library during their tour the day before, but they had only just stopped by. Plus, it was one of the only quiet places in the whole school, and they both could use some quiet.

“How are you liking Ever After High so far? I know it can be a little overwhelming.”

Elaine nodded, a relieved smile on her face. Raven was glad to find solace in a fellow introvert.

“If it’s any consolation, I know what it’s like to be the outcast.” Raven gestured at herself when Elaine gave her a quizzical look. “Daughter of the Evil Queen, curser of Wonderland, collector of poison apples. It was supposed to be my destiny to curse Apple into an enchanted sleep, which meant people hated me when I first started school here. But part of what we’re trying to do is let go of the idea that we have to follow our parent’s stories–we have a right to choose.”

This just seemed to make Elaine sad. “I don’t know your story, or your history, and I know it’s probably a little more complicated than what I make it seem. I guess what I’m really trying to say is, you don’t have to be scared here. We all worked really hard to reach where we are, so we could welcome everyone, regardless of their stories. You’re safe here.”

Elaine smiled gratefully, signing ‘thank you.’ Raven also got the sense that this meant she’ll try, which made her glad. They sat in the library and chatted for a little while longer, Raven filling her in on the rest of the school’s history. Despite not being able to talk, Elaine made a great conversation partner, and Raven even picked up a few more signs.

“Do you want to meet my dragon?” she suggested after a while. “Her name is Nevermore.”

Elaine clapped her hands and nodded empathetically, brightening immediately. Raven laughed, grabbing her hand and pulling her up. “Maybe you can show me that magic broom while we’re at it,” she said with a grin, leading Elaine out of the library and ignoring the stepsisters shushing them.

\-----

Raven had come to understand clapping as Elaine’s way of showing excitement. Nevermore was a little spooked at first, but upon seeing Raven’s happiness, she quickly warmed up to the new student. Elaine’s hands fluttered over the dragon’s scales excitedly, petting and stroking Nevermore with reverence. Raven told her the story of how the dragon games were reinstated at Ever After High, conveniently leaving out the part where it was Apple who released the Evil Queen from her mirror prison; that’s a story for another day, and she didn’t want Elaine to think poorly of her best friend.

“Do you want to take her out for a quick flight? I’ve been so busy lately, poor Nevermore probably feels a little neglected.” The dragon whined and pouted up at them, as if proving her point.

Elaine nodded and helped her ready Nevermore. When they were outside, she motioned for Raven to wait and stomped her foot to the ground three times, holding out her hand. Raven and Nevermore traded questioning glances and were almost thrown to the side when Elaine’s broom came flying their way. The witch caught it with ease, giving them an apologetic smile.

“That is so cool!” Raven exclaimed when she had gotten Nevermore to calm down. “Does it come any time you call, from anywhere?”

Elaine made a so-so motion, which Raven guessed meant it only worked to a certain point. “Will you show me how it works?”

Apparently, there wasn’t much to it. Elaine mounted the broom’s handle and gracefully lifted up into the sky. Once she was a few feet off the ground, she picked up speed and zipped off over the field of the dragon arena, Raven and Nevermore close behind. The speed and agility she had on that broom was astounding, but what really caught her breath was how happy and free Elaine looked, her face breaking out in the most beautiful smile Raven had ever seen.

\-----

Daring filled Gavin in on the story of the dragon arena and how the dragon games had come to pass at Ever After High as they crossed campus. He kept it short, skipping over most of the excitement the Evil Queen and Snow White had caused. Apple showed him the dragons, introducing each by name and relaying little quirks she knew about them. She had noticed Nevermore missing from her stall, but didn’t think much of it until she had led the others to the arena.

Nevermore’s cries were unmistakable, and Raven was whooping like she had never been in the sky before. It took a minute for Apple to notice why; Elaine was flying alongside them, and if she wasn’t mistaken-

“Is that a _broom_?” Dexter exclaimed, rather ungracefully.

Apple was surprised to find Gavin smiling, following Elain with warm eyes. “It is.” The boys were watching Elaine, so Apple was pretty sure she’s the only one who caught the way Gavin regarded the witch in the sky. Noted, she thought, tucking that little tidbit of information away for later.

“Do all the people in Oz travel in such unique ways?” she asked as they continued to watch the girls fly around. “I mean, bubbles, flying monkeys, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such things.”

Gavin shook his head, amused. “Most of the people in Oz travel by foot or carriage, like here. But the witches and wizards of Oz have their quirks, which bleed into every aspect of our lives. The bubbles are my mother’s thing, she just taught me how to use it. The monkeys are… friends of the Thropps, and the broom is an heirloom. Her mother enchanted it, I guess she sent it with Elaine to school.”

“She’s friends with monkeys?” Of course that’s what Dex gets stuck on.

“Well, that’s the simple explanation.”

“Apple!” Raven called from the sky, pointing at Elaine as she did a loop. “Do you see that? It’s so cool!”

Apple waved at her friend, shouting her agreement. Gavin’s face dropped to a more neutral expression when Elaine looked their way, something only Apple caught again. Honestly, boys could be so useless.

She didn’t know Elaine could look so bright and happy. The girl looked positively at home in the sky, but with all the shouting, she finally noticed their audience, and her face fell. She quickly came back to the ground, dismounting a few yards away, her back turned to them.

“Don’t stop on my account,” Gavin said. “They were enjoying the sight.”

She glared at him over her shoulder before walking back to the stables as Raven touched down.

“What happened?” she said, and Apple couldn’t help but hear the accusatory tone in her voice.

“I’m sorry,” Gavin said, but offered no further explanation. Raven ignored him, taking off after Elaine, who had disappeared into the stables.

“Dude, I get that you don’t want to share Elaine’s business,” Dex said after watching Raven dash off, “but you’ve gotta tell us _something_. We can’t keep fumbling in the dark.”

Gavin contemplated this for a moment, staring at the closed stable doors. “I heard another student say Raven was the daughter of an evil queen-”

“ _The_ Evil Queen,” Dex corrected.

“My apologies, _the_ Evil Queen. My point is, everyone is so nice to her. Why? Aren’t you afraid of what she might do?”

Apple crossed her arms in annoyance, taking a step forward. “You know, the whole purpose of this program is to encourage other stories to follow their own paths, not just blindly going with their pre-determined destinies. I’ll give you a warning this time, but I don’t ever want to hear you talking about my friends like that ever again. Raven gave everything to protect this school. We love her and she loves us, we don’t judge her by her heritage.”

Gavin flushed in embarrassment. “My apologies, that is not what I meant. I appreciate how open-minded your school is, that’s why I accepted your invitation. But my fellow Ozians are not like that.” He paused, looking for the right way to word what he wanted to say next. “History is written by the victors, but it is not always honest. Elaine’s mother is the villain in Oz’s story, which makes her whole family, and anyone associated with them, outcasts back home. She didn’t go to school with us because she wasn’t allowed to. She was cursed to never speak because our magic relies on spoken word. Everything about her, her skin, her name, even that broom, is equated to evil and villainy, and no one wants to risk giving her the chance to prove their biases right. She isn’t used to people being anything but cruel to her.” He sighs heavily, running a hand through his hair. “I had hoped my presence wouldn’t affect her this much. I suppose that was naïve…”

Apple frowned. “Wait, if she isn’t allowed to go to school with you, how did she get our invitation? We only sent them to schools.”

Gavin shrugged, but he didn’t meet her eye. “I don’t know, I guess someone snuck it to her. She has a few friends,” he explained, but it wasn’t convincing. Oh, he was definitely hiding something, Apple thought, and she was going to get to the bottom of it. Anything Raven was involved in was something she was automatically involved in, too.

No one was going to hurt her friends. Not on her watch, never again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A story is beginning to be told...

“Don’t listen to Gavin, he seems like a big jerk,” Raven said once she and Elain had gotten Nevermore settled back in the stables. Elaine knew she was just trying to be nice, but the un-truth left her with a terrible feeling settling in her gut. If only her new friend knew the whole story, and it probably wouldn’t be long before Gavin told the entire school.

 _I wanted to escape_ , she signed, even though she knew Raven couldn’t understand. Nevertheless, the other girl watched intently, trying to listen. _I wanted to have my own life, my own friends. It was stupid to think I could try._

Even though she couldn’t know her exact meaning, Raven seemed to get the gist of what she said. “You’re gonna do great here. Trust me, if Gavin tries anything, it will not be tolerated. You have a fresh start here, one where you’re not burdened by your legacy. You get to make a life on your own terms.”

Elaine wanted to believe her, she really did, but her legacy had followed her her whole life, and Gavin was basically at the center of it. The people of Oz had rejected her, cursed her to live half of a life, a life without friends, without a voice, without her gifts. All she had was her family, and she willingly left them for, what? To be followed by the boy who always got what was supposed to be hers? To be ostracized by a whole other group of people? Why did she ever think this was a good idea? She should have just stayed home.

Raven let the silence settle for a while, brushing Nevermore down while Elaine pet his side, lost in thought. “You know, classes don’t start for another few days,” she finally said. “Maybe tomorrow we can go into town? Ashlynn owns this spell-tacular shoe store, and Maddie’s dad has this tea shop. We can make a whole day of it, just having fun.”

Elaine tried to meet her smile. She knew Raven was just trying to cheer her up, give her something to look forward to, but she couldn’t help but wonder how long her kindness would last. She said she knew what it meant to be the outcast, but she didn’t know all of what her mother had supposedly done, and with only Gavin to tell the story…

She should just enjoy it while it lasted.

\-----

Elaine hardly saw Gavin at all over the next few days, and she put all her energy into getting as settled as possible. She got along with her new roommate fabulously; she loved how mischievous Kitty could be, and the Wonderlandians were by far her favorite students. Their strange mannerisms reminded her of home, but they were much kinder and eager to include her. All her new friends, Royal and Rebel alike, filled her time with activities and tours, with tips and tricks about her upcoming classes and ways to get around their maze of a school. As the first day of classes drew closer, she could sense a sort of tension among them, some kind of secret she wasn’t being let in on, but she was content to let it go. It was only a matter of time before she lost them, and she didn’t want to rush an already ticking clock.

Unfortunately, it came sooner than she anticipated. Raven and Dexter came to her the day before classes starting to tell her there was a meeting she needed to be at, and that she should come with them to the study hall. They were nervous, concern and worry etched in their faces, and she knew what was probably coming. Gavin had told them how terrible she was, and they were going to tell her they couldn’t be friends with her anymore. Or worse, that she was expelled from school. Wouldn’t be the first time.

All her friends were gathered in the study hall, the air taught with anxiety and anticipation. They tried to give her reassuring smiles, but Elaine ignored them and stopped cold in the door, eyes locked at Gavin stood by the desk at the front of the room.

“Don’t worry,” Raven murmured reassuringly, a hand on her back. “He’s one wrong word from being hexed into a frog.”

Dexter moved to join some of the others while Raven walked Elaine to the front, stopped right in front of Gavin. “I wasn’t joking, Gav, and neither was Apple. One wrong move and you’re gone; we don’t tolerate discrimination or bullying here.”

“I understand,” he said solemnly, ignoring the way Elaine looked between the two like they had sprouted a second head. “Will you give us a moment?”

“I’ll be right here if you need me,” Raven said one last time, touching Elaine’s arm before joining the rest of their friends. This left her and Gavin essentially alone, something that hadn’t happened since they were children. It did not sit well with her.

 _What are you doing?_ she signed, panicked. _Please, just let me have this. You don’t ever have to see me, I won’t say a word-_

“ _Stop_ ,” he said, covering her hands with his own. “Please, I don’t mean you any harm. We were friends once, weren’t we?”

_That was before-_

“I know,” he insisted gently. “I want to make things right. Can you trust me to tell this story? Our friends just want to understand, and they’re on your side, but I won’t do it without your permission.”

Elaine searched his eyes, looking for any sign of malice. He seemed so genuine, and her friends had already assured her things would be alright, and they were friends once…

 _Okay_ , she signed, sure she would regret it.

“Thank you. I promise you won’t regret it.” He cringed, realizing his mistake a second too late.

She gave him an annoyed look. _You should tell them you can read intentions. And don’t do it on me. Just because it got your mother through school and diplomacy doesn’t mean you should use it without disclosing it._

“You’re right, I’ll tell them. Will you help me start?” He holds out a hand, which in it of itself is a huge gesture. No one back home would dare touch her, let alone take her hand, but he didn’t even hesitate. She took his hand and let him lead her to a pair of chairs at the front of the room, helping her take a seat before sitting himself.

“Well,” he said after some silence. “How do you start your stories here again?”

“’Once upon a time,’” Apple piped up, “and it ends with ‘happily ever after.’” No one was fooled by her sweet tone, and the meaning behind what she said is clear: don’t mess it up.

It doesn’t sneak by unnoticed, and Gavin shifts in his seat uncomfortably. “Right, okay. Once upon a time…”


End file.
